The Land “Down Under”

The “Outback” Dry and barren (empty) Little resources to promote economic activities Extreme temperatures – Summers: well above 100°F – Winters: 20-30°F

Densely populated cities located on the coast Sydney: 3.7 million people Melbourne: 3.5 million people

New Zealand

North Island Mild climate More populated than South Island – Auckland:

South Island Mountainous Highland climate

High Islands and Low Islands High islands: volcanic islands that rise high above sea level and are mountainous Low islands: generally small and consist of built up sand

Oceania

Pacific Island Subregions Melanesia – Mountainous islands with many volcanoes – Stretches from New Guinea east to Fiji Micronesia – East of the Philippines (contains Guam) – Mix of high islands and low islands Polynesia – Largest subregion (from New Zealand to the Hawaiian Islands and Easter Island)

Current Status of the Pacific Islands After WWII, many islands have moved away from colonialism – some have become fully independent Some islands are still colonies or are associated with other countries – Guam, Wake Island, American Samoa – U.S. territories – Northern Mariana Islands – commonwealth with the U.S. (similar to Puerto Rico) – Federated States of Micronesia – free association with the U.S. – Deal: status allows citizens to work in the U.S. freely and in return the U.S. can keep military bases on the islands

Biogeography A sub-field of geography that studies the spatial distribution of flora and fauna around the world Australia has unique biogeography since the flora and fauna have historically been isolated from other landmasses

Australian History

First Inhabitants Aborigines – Resemble “primitive” people from Asia and South Pacific Islands – Hunting and gathering group

Aboriginal Culture

“Walkabout” Present day term for nomadic wandering Rite of passage in which a male Aborigine undergoes a journey during adolescence to live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months

Age of Exploration 16 th century – Abel Tasman (Dutch explorer) first landed on Australia

Age of Exploration Captain James Cook (British) – first to survey Australia’s coast in 1770

Colonial Australia Founded as a prison colony – debtors were shipped as convicts to work out their sentence on Australia

Early Settlement Difficult because of the rough terrain Europeans were wary of the native plants Prediction: What effect do you think that settlement will have on the Aborigines?

Homework Read “The Secret of Dreaming”, an indigenous Australian folktale